Apparatus for purifying sewage and industrial wastes



Nov. 1, 1949. J. "r. TRAVERS 2,486,691

APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES Original-Filed Aug. 19, 1940 I gmsmkmamzmxwm v gvwa/wbom don-1N T TRAVERS allow/" Patented Nov. 1, 1949 John T. Travers, deceased, late of Columbus, Ohio,

by Mary E. McDonald, administratrix, Columbus, Ohio Substituted for application, Serial No. 353,226, filed August 19,-'1940.

January 19, 1949,5erial No. 71,662

This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for treating sewage and industrial waste of a liquid character for the-purpose of purifying such sewage or waste, eliminating This application filed 9 Claims. (or. 210 2) 2 it can. be brought into direct contact with putrescible organic matter. Calcium iodate has been found to contain 51% iodine and 16% oxygen. all of which is available for sewage neuobnoxious odors and producing an eilluent which 5 tralization when properly released, the compound may be discharged into natural streams or other being liberated in the presence of putrescent bodies of water without harmful consequences organic matter. When calcium iodate is placed th r to, in a slightly alkaline solution containing organic This application forms a substitute for prior matter, it decomposes, liberating iodine and forfeited application, Serial No. 353,226 illed oxygen and the iodinexmay be slowly reformed August 19, 1940, by John T. Travers, now deto the iodatestage by the decomposition of water. ased, I The iodate so reformed, when in contact with Inhis prior patents, Nos. 1,440,253 and 1,440,254, another portion of putrescible organic matter, granted December 26, 1922, he has 'set forth a yields further proportions of free iodine and system for effecting the purification of -sewage oxygen to again serve as previously set forth. and industrial waste with the employment of a In accordance .with the present invention, he treating agent composed primarilyof marl. recognized the presence and value in marlof It is an object of the presentinvention to calcium iodate and provided for the more e'fflcient further improve the process and apparatus set utilization of this treating agent for the purpose forth in his aforesaid patents particularly by way 0 of securing improved treatment of the industrial of rendering the treating agent more effective, in Waste or sewage handled by his system and at reducing the quantity of the treating agent necesthe same time to minimize operating costs. sary to neutralize a given amount of the sewage Heretofore, in the commercial utilization of the or waste and render the system more economical systems disclosed in his aforesaid patents, using and efiective in operation. marl as a purification agent, to neutralize and/or The use of marl (calcium carbonate) in the purify the sewage or other wastes, practice distreatment of many different types of industrial closed it necessary to use an excess of the marl waste and domestic sewage, discloses that said mixture to obtain desired results. For instance, compound is unusually effective even while the m he ordinarily employed 6 to 8 pounds of the marl fluids undergoing treatment are in an advanced 00 mixture to one thousand gallons of sewage state of decomposition. With the use ofmarl, treated. :In rapidly flowing the sewage with marl such odors are substantially instantaneously admixed therewith through a treatment tank, destroyed and no offensive odors can be detected 15% to 20% of the marl dissolves in t e sewa e. around the treating plant. For instance, all odors reacting in a very energetic manner while it is characteristic of sewage in a state of decomposiin contact with raw sewage. However, about 80% tion and containing or releasing indole, skatole, of the marl drops by gravity to the bottom of mercaptans, putrecine, cadaverine and hydrogen the treatment tank, where it no longer contacts sulphide are subdued or destroyed. with raw incoming-sewage, thereby becoming in- Also, the sludge comprising solids precipitated efi'ective because it has no opportunity to dissolve out of the sewage, does not possess a disagreeable 40 and, heretofore, this excess marl was wasted. odor and will not putrefy, thus making it a de- In accordance with the present invention, he sirable fertilizer or filler for commercial has found that by installing a pump in a pipe fertilizer of certain economic value.- The parline leading from the point of accumulation of ticular efiectiveness of marl as a treating agent the marl sediment that a part of this unused marl in the capacities indicated is considered to be may be returned toqthe system by a recycling due to the fact that it contains calcium iodate. operation in which the unused and undissolved Marl is composed of from 82% to 98% calcium marl may again be brought into contact with carbonate. The calcium iodate (salt of calcium the incoming sewage or other fluids of industrial carbonate) is bound up in calcium carbonate but waste and operated thereon with the same effecis not available except under'conditions where 59 tiveness, or in some instances, increased eflfectiveness, as regards unused marl. By this system of recycling the marl from the bottom of the treatment tank to the incoming sewage line, he not only uses less of the purifying agent. but reduces the costs of operation, increasesjhe eifectiveness of the system and provides operating economies.

For a furthe understandin of the invention,

reference is to be had to the followin description an the accom anyin drawin wherein:

The fi re is a vertical lon itudinal sectional view. partlv in pers ective. of apparatus which mav he used in carryin out the present invention.

Referrin more part cularly to the drawing, th nl'lmn'ra'l l desi nates a nine l ne, conduit or other e clos d p ssa e throu which raw sewa e or t e many d fferent tvnes of in ustrial WfleiBR. may be fe to the system for tre tment. he di c ar e end o the p pe I term n tes in the unner end of a tank '2. Communicat ng with the i e l n or conduit I. in advance of the tank 2. is a feeder 3 by means of which marl in regul t d quant t es may be introduced into the f u ds p s ing throu h the pipe or conduit l to the tank 2. As a purifying or treating agent, he m us marl alone or marl in various comb nations with other com o nds such as hy- 'rated lime or ferrous sulphate. this being controlled largel by thecharacter of the wastes to be treated. Marl. however. is the primary conin sewage neutralization, since it comes into instit ent. By way of example, he has employed atreating compound composed of the following:

Per cent Hy rated lime 20 Ferrous sulphate 7.5 Marl 72.5

stood that the same is intended to mean either marl a one or in combination with other added com ounds.

Arranged in the tank 2, toward the bottom thereof. is a horizontally disposed screen land mounted immediatel above this screen is a rot-ry agitator 5. the latter being carried by a vert cal shaft 6 suitably jdurnaled in the tank, the shaft being driven by a motor or its equivalent 1. Placed vertically in the tank 2 is a baiiie wall 8, the lower edge of which terminates immediately above the agitator 5, the wall 8 being spaced from the adjacent wall of the tank 2 in order to provide a restricted passage 9 through which the fi"ids undergoing treatment are passed in a g nerally upward direction toward the outlet II! in the top of the tank.

Marl, since it is comparatively heavy, possessing substantially the weight of sand, settles in part on the screen 4 and passes through the openin s of the screen into a marl trap ll, located in the bottom of the tank 2. If desired, the shaft 6 may be extended through the screen and be equipped with a. second agitator l2, whereby to maintain the marl deposited in the trap by gravity in a state of agitation or motion. A certain proportion of the total quantity of marl used in the process is caught by the trap ll, while the rest of the marl is entrained in the fluids undergoing treatment, and passes upwardly through the passage 9 with said fluids and is discharged from the tank by way-of the outlet Ill, entering an enlarged treating and setlight organic solids (sludge).

,tling vessel It, hereinafter described. A particular feature of the present inventionresides in Joining with the bottom-of the trap II a pipe line H, the latter leading from said trap to the sewage conduit I, a pump or other equivalent means lli being arranged in the pipe line II for the purpose of effecting a forced andpositive flow of the marl from said trap into contact with the incoming sewage entering the agitator tank. By this means, the undissolved calcium iodate contained in the marl will again become effective timate contact with thedecomposed or decomposing organic substances of the waste or sewage, liberating iodine. and oxygen and energetically attacking the sewage. It is believed that in the operation of the system, there is some re-forming at least of the thus liberated iodine and oxygen to the iodate stage, and such re-formed compounds may of course be again trapped in the bottom of the tank 2, together with the marl which has not been .dissolved in or carried oil. by the sewage delivered to the vessel I3. This system enables a large quantity of marl to be used very economically and overcomes one of the practical objections heretofore noted in the treatment of sewage with marl. It is well recognized that the system is highly effective, but the treating costs have been relatively high, since to obtain best results, the use of a large amount of marl has been necessary. He has found that by extracting about 25% of the marl delivered to the system from the trap II and recirculating the same, smaller quantities of marl may be used and at the same time the efiiciency of the system in purifyingwaste and sewage obtained.

The marl, in practice, is applied to the rapidly flowing raw sewage as it enters the agitator tank. The raw sewage contains considerable quantities of carbonic acid, which reacts on the marl and quickly dissolves it in part. However, just the instant the sewage with which the marl has been in contact is purified, reaction stops until the undissolved marl is again brought into contact with additional quantities of putrifying organic matter. In the meantime, the undissolved marl drops into the bottom of the agitator tank, where it ordinarily no longer comes in contact with putrifying organic matter.

By reason of its weight, intense agitation .will not bring the undissolved marl upwardly from the bottom of the tank into contact with the raw incoming sewage. The rapid flow of the sewage through the tank"! washes the same outwardly into the treatment vessel i3, precipitating the The vessel l3, or the main treatment tank, is provided at intervals with baffles it which form compartments ll. Sludge may be removed from the bottoms of these compartments by way of the valved outlets l8,

and the end compartment contains a weir i9 constituting an outlet for a clear, odorless and purified efliuent. This eflluent may be discharged harmlessly to a sewer or other stream of water without deleterious efiects thereon. The sludge withdrawn from the compartment I1 is also odorless and in certain instances, this sludge may be used as a valuable product in the manufacture of fertilizers. In the trap ll, nothing collects but the purifying agent, the latter being and not the sludge. which is returned to the system for recirculation therein.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for treating and purifying untreated and unsettled polluted waste liquids comprising an agitator tank, a conduit for carrying waste liquids entering said tank, means for introducing regulated quantities of a purifying agent into the Waste liquids passing through said conduit, a movable agitator in said tank, a trap provided in the bottom of said tank for the reception of the undissolved portions of said purifying agent, means for conducting the undissolved purifying agent from said trap to said conduit for further contact with untreated waste liquids, a baflie arranged within said tank above said agitator and producing an outlet passage for said liquid, and an outlet communicating with the upper end of said passage through which liquid is discharged from said tank.

2. Apparatus for treating and purifying previously untreated polluted waste liquids comprising an agitator tank, a conduit for carrying waste liquids entering said tank, means for introducing regulated quantities of a purifying agent into ,the waste liquids passing through said conduit,

a rotary power driven agitator in said tank, a.

screen arranged below said agitator and forming a trap in the bottom of said tank for the reception of undissolved portions of said purifying agent, means for conducting the purifying agent in a substantially sludge-free state from said trap to said conduit for further contact with untreated waste liquids, a bafile arranged within said tank above said screen and agitator and producing an outlet passage for said liquid, and an outlet communicating with the upper end of said passage through which liquid is discharged from said tank.

3. Apparatus for treating and purifying previously untreated polluted waste liquids comprising an agitator tank, a conduit for carrying waste liquids entering said tank, means for introducing regulated quantities of a purifying agent into the waste liquids passing through said conduit, a

-movable agitator in said tank, a screen arranged below said agitator and forming a trap for the reception of undissolved portions of said purifying agent, means for conducting the purifying agent in a substantially sludge-free state from said trap to said conduit for further contact with untreated waste liquids, a baflle arranged within said tank above said agitator and trap and producing an outlet passage for said liquid, an outlet communicating with the upper end of said passage through which liquid is discharged from said tank, and an enlarged sludge precipitating and settling tank adapted for the reception of liquids discharged from said outlet.

4. Apparatus for removing impurities from waste liquids, comprising a tank formed at .one end with a mixing chamber, an inlet entering the upper part of said chamber at one side thereof for introducing untreated waste liquids therein, means for introducing regulated quantities of a purifying agent into said liquids, said means being located so that said purifying agent will be present in desired proportions in the liquids disposed in said chamber, an outlet for the liquids leading from said chamber on the opposite side of the latter and at approximately the same level as said inlet, a vertical divisional wall arranged in said chamber and separating the latter into a fluid inlet compartment communicating with said inlet and in which compartment the flow of liquid is generally downward and an outlet compartment in which the flow of liquid is generally upward toward said outlet, said wall being spaced from the bottom of said chamber to provide fluid flow communication between the lower ends of said compartments, a movable agitator arranged below said wall for rotation in a horizontal plane, a -foraminated member disposed beneath said agitator, the lower part of said chamber beneath said foraminatedmember being formed to constitute a sump for the trapping of excess quantities of said purifying agent, means for withdrawing the agent trapped in said sump and conducting the same to said inlet for repassage through said mixing chamber, and an enlarged sludgeprecipitating and settling tank in communication with said outlet.

5. Continuous flow apparatus for removing impurities from waste liquids as defined in claim 4, and wherein the enlarged sludge-precipitating and settling tank is formed at one end remote from said mixing chamber with an outlet for the removal of the clarified efliuent, in combination with means in the bottom of said settling tank for the separate discharge of precipitated sludges.

MARY E. MCDONALD,

I Administratrix of the Estate of John T. Travers,

- Number Deceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 389,479 Lortzing Sept. 11, 1888 910,327 Sutro et al. Jan. 19, 1909 1,194,000 Dobyns et al Aug. 8, 1916 1,362,611 Ellms Dec. 21, 1920 1,440,253 Travers Dec. 26, 1922 1,440,254 Travers Dec. 26, 1922 1,520,399 Blumenthal Dec. 23, 1924 1,577,176 Connet Mar. 16, 192" 1,752,795 Hoover et al. Apr. 1, 1930 1,915,240 Putnam June 20, 1933 1,956,420 Gleason et a1. Apr. 24, 1934 2,065,123 Downes Dec. 22, 1936 2,074,082 Domogalla Mar. 16, 1937 2,111,097 Green et a1 Mar. 15, 1938 2,116,053 Urbain et al .1 May 3, 1938 2,128,393 Allen Aug. 30, 1938 2,137,966 Rankin Nov. 22, 1938 2,179,246 Applebaum Nov. 7, 1939 2,204,703 Sanders June 18. 1940 2,211,565 Hawley Aug. 13, 1940 2,223,634 Morton Dec. 3, 1940 

